Long Live the King
by Fanfictions4everscar
Summary: Scar and Shenzi had been best friends since they were children. Will their love continue into adulthood? What is Shenzi's real role in the events that take place during The Lion King?
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Shenzi, the young hyena pup, sat between her two best friends, Banzai and Ed. This is how they spent most of their afternoons, just sitting and talking; or in Ed's case, laughing and making gestures. Neither hyena was sure of what happened to him, but they never questioned the fact that their friend couldn't speak like they could.

However, today there was nothing but silence and misery. No joyful noise could be heard from the trio, not even from Ed. Ahadi, the king of the Pridelands had just brutally murdered Shenzi's parents for trespassing. The trio was in mourning not only because Shenzi was now an orphan but also because they had lost the leaders of their clan.

"I think I'm gonna go take a walk," Shenzi said quietly, her ears drooping. She loved her friends, but she needed some time to be alone with her thoughts.

"Yeah, okay," Banzai replied. He knew Shenzi better than anyone. He could read her emotions easily, and he knew when it was better to leave her alone.

Shenzi stood up and walked out of the elephant skull. As soon as she was out of sight, she broke into a run. Running around sometimes helped her escape from her troubles, even if it was only for a little while. She could pretend like everything was back to normal, and her mind would be focused on running, not the death of her parents.

But out of nowhere, something orange flew at her and rammed into her small body. She went flying with the force and skidded to a stop a few feet away. She blinked in shock as she stood up. She shook the dirt off her body and turned to face the creature who'd run into her. It was a small lion cub. A sea of fear swept through her, but it ebbed as quickly as it came, replaced by fear.

She narrowed her eyes and growled. She bristled as he stood, for he'd fallen as well. His kind had killed her parents, and now he had the nerve to trespass in Shenzi's territory? She didn't think so.

"What do you want?" she challenged, ice coating every word.

"Nothing!" he said, looking almost shocked to see her, "I'm…umm…sorry for running into you."

"What's your name, Pridelander?"

"Um…Taka. What's yours?"

"Get out of my land," snapped Shenzi, ignoring the lion cub's question.

Suddenly, Taka narrowed his eyes in return.

"Or what? You'll kill me?" he shot back.

"Yes, I will."

Without warning, he pounced at her, knocking her back into the ground.

Pinned under his paw, Shenzi growled, "Let me up, you son of a-."

"-king?" he offered.

Shenzi's eyes grew wide with involuntary fear.

"Your dad is the king?" she whispered, swallowing hard.

"Yep. So think twice before you threaten me. I'm the future king, so it's not very wise for you to get on my bad side, is it?"

"I'm sorry," mumbled Shenzi.

"What's your name?" Taka asked again, this time with more authority in his young voice.

"Shenzi."

"Hmm…pretty," he replied with a smirk.

Shenzi felt her cheeks heat as Taka lifted his paw off of her chest. In an instant, she was on her feet, backing away from him.

"Hey, Shenzi!" a voice sounded.

Banzai rounded the corner to find Shenzi with the orange lion cub. He ran to Shenzi's side and growled at Taka, who lifted one eyebrow and glanced at Shenzi.

"Hey, cut it out man," she told Banzai, but he ignored her. She threw her elbow into him, "Dude, cut it out. This guy is the future king."

"I'm not scared by no _future king_ ," he said, but he still stopped growling, "Your aunt told me to come and get you. She's taking a party hunting for dinner, and since your mom…well, she says you should start training to take her place."

The smirk on Taka's face faded slightly.

"Tell her I'll be there in a minute."

"But-."

"Go!"

Banzai scampered off, leaving Shenzi alone with Taka.

"You should leave too. I may not be able to kill you, but a clan of full-grown hyenas can."

"You care about my well-being?" Taka teased, his tail flicking back and forth.

Shenzi scoffed in return before turning and following after Banzai. Taka turned to go home. He was smiling all the way back to Pride Rock.

* * *

It was a couple months later when Mufasa tackled his brother in the middle of the large field in the Pridelands.

"Say it!" he snapped at Taka.

"No. Stop it, Mufasa!"

"Say it, or I'll claw you!"

"No!"

With open claws, Mufasa smacked his brother across the face. Taka cried out in pain as one of the claws ripped open his flesh. The blood dripped into his eye as he glared at Mufasa.

"I can do much worse than that," he threatened, " _Say it._ "

"Long live the king," Taka spat before running off through the field.

* * *

Shenzi walked by one of the elephant skulls with a dead meerkat dangling from her teeth. She'd learned how to hunt pretty well, but she could still only kill smaller things. Suddenly, she heard sniffling coming from inside the skull. She paused and set the meerkat on the ground before going to investigate.

When she walked in, she saw a ball of familiar, orange fur that now had a little bit of black fur sprouting from the top of its head. The ball of fur was trembling and making sobbing sounds.

"Um…Taka?" Shenzi spoke softly.

"No. Not anymore."

"W-what?"

Taka glanced over his shoulder at Shenzi. She gasped as her eyes landed on the fur around his eyes, matted by blood.

"What happened to you, Taka?" she hissed, horrified.

"Stop calling me that! I don't want to be that lion anymore. He's weak."

"Then what should I call you?"

"Scar."

"Scar?"

"Well, it's fitting, isn't it?"

"I guess," she answered, walking deeper into the elephant skull.

She laid down next to him and tentatively stuck out her tongue.

"What are you doing?" asked Scar.

"Close your eyes."

He hesitated but complied. As soon as he did, Shenzi began licking the wound over his eye. He winced in pain, but he didn't try to stop her. He knew the wound would have to be cleaned anyway. Once all the dry blood had been licked away, Shenzi laid back down next to Scar.

They stayed like that for a long time, sitting in the silence. Together, they could escape from all of their worries.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, you've made it past the prologue. This must mean you're at least semi-interested.**

 **I wrote this fanfiction a long time ago, and I'm reviving it now before I go away to college (because I don't want to leave all my fanfiction notebooks at home, nor do I want to bring all 23 with me). It's written a lot better than it was, but the story is relatively the same. I really ship Scar and Shenzi, regardless of their differences. I also have a theory that they might have been romantically involved in the movie (see Nuka from TLK 2: Simba's Pride), but if they were canon, this is how I imagine it would have gone.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 **Chapter One**

"It's not funny, Ed," Banzai snapped as Ed burst into another hysterical fit of laughter. Growling, Banzai pounced, taking Ed to the ground and fighting with him.

"Will you two knock it off," snarled Shenzi, "No wonder we're dangling at the bottom of the food chain."

"Man, I hate dangling."

Shenzi looked over at Banzai, who had a line of drool dangling from his mouth. Her lip curled in distaste.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning to face him, "Man, if it wasn't for all those lions, we'd be running the joint!"

"Man, I hate lions," Banzai added.

Shenzi bristled when she thought about all they'd done. They'd killed her parents. They'd hurt Scar.

"So pushy," she muttered.

"And hairy," Banzai chimed in, bringing a small smile to her face. He always knew just what to do to make her laugh. I guess there was a reason he was still her best friend after all these years.

"And stinky," she continued.

"And, man, are they _ugly,_ " they sang in unison.

"Oh, surely we lions aren't all that bad," a low voice echoed through the cavern, causing the hyenas to glance up towards the speaker in fear. Shenzi was the first to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Oh Scar, it's just you," Banzai chuckled.

"Yeah, we were worried it was someone important," Shenzi teased.

"Yeah, you know, like Mufasa."

"I see," Scar sighed.

"Now, _that's_ power," Banzai continued as if Scar hadn't spoken.

"Tell me about it," said Shenzi, "I just hear that name, and I shudder."

"Mufasa," hissed Banzai with mock bravado.

"Oooohh," Shenzi shuddered. She paused, then, "Do it again."

The two continued as a ghost of a smile crossed over Scar's face.

"Haha, it tingles!" she exclaimed.

Scar rolled his eyes dramatically, forcing away from Shenzi, "Ugh, I'm surrounded by idiots."

"Now you, Scar," Banzai addressed him, "You're one of us. You're our pal!"

"Charmed."

"Ooh, I like that," Shenzi laughed, wagging her tail, "He's not king, but he's still so proper."

"Yeah," agreed Banzai before cocking his head at Scar, "Hey, didja bring us anything to eat, Scar, old buddy, old pal…huh? Didja? Didja? Didja?"

Scar curled his own lip in disgust at Banzai's eagerness. He couldn't be as low as the hyenas. They had essentially no self respect.

"I don't think you really deserve this," he drawled as he dangled the leg of a zebra – Shenzi's favorite food—high above the trio, "I practically gift-wrapped those cubs for you and you couldn't even dispose of them."

He looked away as Shenzi's tongue lolled out of her mouth. How hungry was she?

He dropped the leg, and the three of them attacked it like they hadn't eaten in days – which might have been true.

"Well, you know. It wasn't exactly as if they was alone, Scar," Shenzi defended with her mouth full of food. Unlike the rest of the hyenas, there was something adorable about her lack of grace, and the way she glared at him with her cheeks puffed out because she was chewing too much zebra.

"Yeah, what were we supposed to do? Kill Mufasa?" Banzai added.

"Precisely," Scar grinned.

"Hmm?" Shenzi tilted her head in confusion as Scar jumped down from the ledge to the trio.

"Just be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Banzai asked skeptically.

"For the death of the king," Scar explained.

"Why? Is he sick?"

"No, fool! We're going to kill him, and Simba too."

"Great idea! Who needs a king?" Shenzi mused.

"No king!" chanted Banzai, and Shenzi joined in, "No king! La la la, la la la!"

" _I_ will be king," he growled, cutting them off, "Stick with me, and you'll never go hungry again."

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, "Long live the king!"

Scar froze. _Long live the king_. The very phrase he'd muttered to Mufasa when he got his scar.

"All you have to do is kill Mufasa and the cub," he forced himself to continue.

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Shenzi questioned, "I highly doubt those two will be coming back anytime soon."

Scar grinned and explained to the trio exactly how the plan would work. When he was finished, Shenzi was grinning.

"That's not bad," she commented, "That may actually work."

"Yes, thank you, Shenzi. I'm not an idiot," Scar retorted, though pleased that she approved.

"As long as we get some wildebeest, I'm in," added Banzai.

Ed nodded rapidly, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. Then he yawned.

"Yeah, me too, Ed," Banzai said, "We're gonna go get some sleep. You coming Shenzi?"

"Nah," she replied, "I'll be there in a little bit."

Banzai hesitated for a moment, as if waiting for Shenzi to change her mind and go with him instead. Scar was pleased when she ignored the other two and let them leave without her. Secretly, he was glad they left. Now he and Shenzi could discuss the plan intellectually.

"What if we get caught in the Pridelands before we've done what we're supposed to do?" she asked.

"Oh, my dear Shenzi," Scar drawled, "Don't worry about that. It isn't going to happen."

"How do you know that?" she questioned, sitting in front of Scar, "You know how my parents died…"

Scar smirked and shook his head, beginning to circling her as if he was circling his prey.

"Scar…please. I don't want to die like them."

Shenzi looked up at him with big, beautiful eyes as he came around to the front of her. He paused and stepped forward, rubbing his cheek against hers.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered against her fur.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Scar stepped back and pressed his paw against Shenzi's chest. Then he pushed her onto her back and stood over her, his paw holding her in place.

"If I wanted you dead, I would have killed you already," he told her firmly, "I will ensure your safety. Besides, if our plan succeeds, there will be nothing to fear ever again. You'll be able to live in the Pridelands."

"Let me up," Shenzi said, rolling her eyes.

When he did, she got to her feet.

"How are you going to ensure our safety when you won't even be there? You'll be off with Simba and Mufasa while we're with the wildebeest. What if a lioness sees us and comes after us?" she queried as Scar pushed past her towards the exit of the cavern. At her words, he paused and turned around. Shenzi could just barely make out his silhouette, created by the moonlit sky behind him.

"I'll always protect you, Shenzi. No matter where I am."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

The silence of the grasslands was broken by the loud rumbling of Banzai's stomach.

"Shut up!" snapped Shenzi.

"I can't help it!" Banzai was quick to defend himself, "I'm so hungry. I gotta have a wildebeest!"

"Stay put," Shenzi replied firmly. She couldn't let Banzai ruin this for Scar.

"Can't I just pick off one of the little, sick ones?"

"No," she snapped, "We wait for the signal from Scar."

As if on cue, he appeared at the top of a nearby cliff that overlooked the grassy plain. There was a hungry look in his eye as he smiled down at Shenzi.

"There he is," she said before turning to her friends, "Let's go."

She then began chasing the herd of wildebeest across the wide, grassy field, pushing them towards the gorge. The big creatures stopped grazing at once and began running away, fearing for their lives. Once they had started the wildebeest running through the gorge, they stopped at the top of the canyon as Scar ran off to get Mufasa. The last thing Shenzi wanted was for King Mufasa to see her and her friends chasing the wildebeest through the Pridelands, headed for his beloved son. She stopped at the perfect spot for both hiding and watching the show.

Shenzi watched as the lion cub began running away from the wildebeest. Though he ran like crazy, dodging the wildebeest back and forth, he only moved forward a few yards. The wildebeest kept knocking him around, and he kept having to jump out of the way. Eventually, the cub made it to a little tree and scrambled up it, hanging on by his claws.

The bird came first, swooping into the gorge and flapping around near Simba. Shenzi had to suppress a laugh. Did that tiny ball of feathers actually expect to help the cub? When he flew away a few seconds later, Mufasa' voice boomed across the canyon in his place.

"Hold on, Simba!" Shenzi heard his voice echo. Turning her head she could see that he was running down the side of the gorge. Without hesitation, he leapt into the sea of wildebeest.

Shenzi watched him as he raced to save his son. For a moment, she felt something strange. Guilt? She was playing a major role in the murder of a father and his son. How was she supposed to _not_ feel guilty? But she shook the thoughts from her head as soon as they came. Both Mufasa and Simba were lions. Proud descendants of those who'd killed her own parents. Not to mention the abuse Mufasa inflicted on Scar when they were still cubs. No, there was no reason to feel guilty. They deserved their fate.

One of the wildebeest crashed into the dead tree Simba was clinging to, launching him high into the air. Mufasa leapt up and caught him in his mouth with ease. Then he turned back towards the side of the chasm. He was almost there when another wildebeest pummeled into him, knocking the cub from his jaw. It was only a moment before he got to his feet, grabbed the cub again, and jumped to the nearest rock. He held on with his front two paws as Simba scrambled to safety.

Shenzi felt herself breathe an unexpected sigh of relief.

Then the stampede crashed into Mufasa's abdomen, carrying him further down the gorge. For a moment, the king disappeared from even Shenzi's view. Then he flew out of the mess of wildebeest, clinging to the rocky slope with his claws. He pulled himself up inch by inch until he'd reached the top. Shenzi watched as Scar slowly approached the edge.

"Scar!" Mufasa called, "Brother! Help me!"

Shenzi scoffed quietly. As if he had any right to ask for Scar's help.

At first, Scar simply stared down at him as his brother pleaded. Then he suddenly lunged forward, digging his claws into the tops of Mufasa's paws. The king roared in pain as Scar leaned close.

Shenzi felt a burst of satisfaction when she watched his mouth form the quiet words.

"Long live the king."

"Dad!" Simba screamed as Scar let go of his brother, letting him fall into the gorge.

As the flow of wildebeest began to thin, Shenzi tried not to think about her own pain when her parents had been killed. However, hearing Simba's cry of agony, it was hard to forget. She couldn't pretend not to feel sympathy for the cub, even if he was part of the family who'd done nothing but hurt her and Scar.

"Come on, guys," she forced herself to say as she stood and followed after Scar, who was walking down to the gorge. Simba was already there. Shenzi watched from the shadows as she moved, seeing him cry over his dead father's body. Yelling for help. Begging his father to wake up.

"Shenzi, why are your eyes watery?" Banzai whispered.

Shenzi's eyes narrowed at him as she shook her head.

"It's all this dust down here," she shot back, "Its getting in my eyes."

The three hyenas hung behind as Scar went forward, talking to the cub. Telling him that it was all his fault that his father had died. Telling him that he needed to run away and never return. Simba gave his father one last look, and Shenzi found herself wishing that Scar would have given him a little more time to say goodbye to Mufasa.

She wished she had gotten some time to say goodbye to her parents, but they died in the Pridelands, and she wasn't allowed there. She hadn't wanted to be killed alongside them. And Ahadi certainly didn't make any exceptions to the rule.

When the cub scampered away, she stepped out of the shadows with Banzai and Ed, waiting for her next instructions. The words that left Scar's mouth weren't necessarily surprising, but they felt like a stone in Shenzi's stomach nonetheless.

"Kill him."

The three sprang forward at once, charging in the direction Simba had run in. It was a matter of moments before they had him cornered at the bottom of a huge slope of rocks, but as Banzai lunged at the cub, his little body slipped through the boulders until he was safely out of reach.

"Let's go around!" Banzai barked as Simba scaled the boulders to the top of the canyon.

As he climbed, the trio of hyenas ran around the wall, finding a slope that would take them up to the top. When they reached the peak the slope, they found Simba standing at the other side, looking uncertainly off the edge, where the rocky canyon plummeted once more. But when his eyes landed on the hyenas, he pounced forward.

With a growl, Shenzi pushed after him, following him down the steep slope on the other side. She couldn't let the others know that she felt bad for the cub. However, she wasn't running as fast as she could have been. She was a grown hyena, and he was a tiny ball of fur. If she wanted to kill him, he would have been nothing but a corpse between her teeth by now.

There was a short slab of rock sticking out of the side of the slope. After that, it was nothing but a field of thorns and briars. Simba didn't hesitate to dive in as if it were a watering hole, but Shenzi wasn't that brave. Besides, it was a perfect excuse to stop the chase. To let the cub get away and live his life in exile. How would that affect Scar anyway?

Before they reached the rocky protrusion, Banzai ran a little ahead of Shenzi. He was the first to make it to the rock, where he tried desperately to slide to a stop. He barely made it, and even managed to stop Shenzi. But when Ed slammed into Shenzi's back, Banzai went flying forward into the brambles.

He squealed in pain as he climbed back onto the rock, countless thorns sticking out of his fur. Shenzi felt her guilt dissolve as the cub ran further away. One look at Banzai, and she doubled over with laughter as Ed fell onto his back, holding his stomach.

"Hey!" Shenzi exclaimed, eyeing a creature running from the briars towards the setting sun. She expertly hid her relief with alarm that they wouldn't be able to finish the job. She was secretly afraid that the fall into the thorns would kill him, being the size that he was, "There he goes! There he goes!"

"So go get him!" snapped Banzai as he ripped three thorns from his paw.

"There ain't no way I'm going in there! What? You want me to come out of there looking like you, cactus butt?"

Banzai paused, glaring up at her as he ripped more thorns from his behind. Then he caught Ed watching him, a placid smile on his face. In a spark of anger, he spat the thorns at Ed, which lodged themselves in his nose. He yelped and rubbed at them.

"But we gotta finish the job!" Banzai argued.

"Well," Shenzi continued, thinking fast. She wouldn't be pressured into going after Simba, "He's as good as dead out there anyway, and _if_ he comes back, we'll kill him."

"Yeah!" shouted Banzai. His voice echoed across the desert, "You hear that? If you ever come back, we'll kill ya!"

* * *

"Is he dead?" Scar asked when she returned with Banzai and Ed.

"Yes," she lied with confidence. Luckily, Scar had his back to the hyenas or he would have seen Banzai glance guiltily back and forth between him and Shenzi.

"Good," he replied, his voice dripping with malice. He turned around and walked up to Shenzi, standing so close that his breath moved her fur of her snout, "Now, go to your clan and tell them that I am the new king. And on behalf of the new king, invite them to live with the lions in the Pridelands."

Shenzi nodded once and turned in the direction of the elephant graveyard. She glanced at Scar over her shoulder before scampering away with Banzai and Ed behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's the next chapter. Thank you for the kind reviews as well. Scar and Shenzi are my favorite characters as well, and even if you don't ship them, I'm glad you're enjoying the story.**

 **Chapter Three**

"Excuse me," Shenzi addressed her clan, trying to get their attention.

After her mother had passed away, and she had come of age, Shenzi became the ruler of the clan, surpassing her aunt and her uncles. Power flowed through the females in the family, and her aunt wished for Shenzi to take over. She'd called all of her clan together in the big cavern at the center of the graveyard, but now that they'd been brought together, she couldn't capture their focus.

"Excuse me!" she tried again a little louder, but they couldn't hear her over the sounds of their own talking and laughter. Hyenas were a rowdy bunch, especially Shenzi's clan. Even if she, Banzai, and Ed were standing on one of the ledges, looking over all of them, she still couldn't get their attention.

"Here, allow me," Banzai offered, stepping forward, " _Everybody listen up!"_

Banzai was one of the loudest in the clan. When he truly yelled, Shenzi was sure animals could hear him from miles away. As the last echo of his voice vibrated around the walls of the cave, she wouldn't have been surprised if he'd been heard by Scar and the lionesses in the Pridelands.

"Umm…thanks," Shenzi whispered as the conversations died down and everyone turned their attention to Shenzi, "Hi, everyone. As some of you may have heard, the king of the Pridelands, Mufasa, died today in a wildebeest stampede in the gorge. His brother, Scar, has assumed the throne and chooses to end our exile tonight. In a few hours, those who wish to will be allowed to relocate to the Pridelands."

"How can we trust this lion?" one of the hyenas yelled from below. While several of the hyenas knew Scar personally, and some had heard of him through others, there were many hyenas who didn't even know of Scar.

"He's given the hyenas food for years. He's a good friend to many of us, not to mention a close, personal friend of mine."

"But it was his family that killed your parents!" the hyena insisted.

"He is very different from the rest of his family. If he wanted to kill us, he would have done so already. He's on our side, perhaps even more than the lions'. And my parents were not the only ones Scar's family mistreated. He himself has endured abuse at their paws."

When no one else seemed to argue, Shenzi nodded once.

"Right. You have three hours. If you have anything and you'd like to bring it with you, collect it. Find all the members of your family, then come back here. If you wish to stay, be my guest, but in doing so, you will be leaving the clan. We're leaving here in three hours."

* * *

"Mufasa's death was a tragedy," Scar began, his velvety voice resonating over the Pridelands, "but to lose Simba who had barely begun to live…for me, it is a deep, personal loss. So it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne. Yet out of the ashes of the tragedy, we will rise to greet the dawning of a new era, in which lion and hyena come together in a great and glorious future!"

The lionesses' eyes widened in horror as the hyenas began to enter the Pridelands, climbing over Pride Rock and running across the plains behind the lionesses. They looked around, trying to decide whether to be scared or outraged. Many of their faces conveyed a mixture of both.

With nothing more to say, Scar turned around and climbed to the top of Pride Rock. Laying down at the top, he watched the lionesses running around, trying to protect their children from something that was no longer a threat. He understood it would take them a while to adjust. In the near distance, he could see a smaller group of hyenas had already killed one of the zebras and were feasting on it. How could he expect any differently from the group that had been starving for years?

He watched for hours, still perched at the peak of the rock as the lionesses found a new place to sleep. Scar was relieved that they wouldn't try to sleep in the cave at the top of Pride Rock with him. The hyena searched for places too. It was only so long until the Pridelands had fallen silent and Scar was alone with his thoughts.

A footstep behind him made him jump. Without standing, he looked over his shoulder to see Shenzi approaching him. He turned back to the Pridelands before she could see him smile. When she reached the area next to him, she sat down, her head bowed shyly.

"Umm…hi," she greeted.

"Hello," Scar replied, colder than he meant to, "Why are you still awake?"

She shrugged, "I can't sleep I guess."

"I see."

When it was clear that Scar wasn't going to say anything else or acknowledge her further, she laid down next to him.

"Is it weird?" she asked, joining him as he looked over his new kingdom.

"Hmm?"

"Being the ruler of all of this? Is it unsettling? There's so much. So many lives."

"I'd be lying if I said it wasn't unsettling," the words left his mouth before he could stop them. Once they were out, he couldn't take them back no matter how much he wished it. But how could he reveal his deepest insecurity…to a hyena nonetheless? "Not that I can't handle it," he added hastily.

"I know you can handle it," she said, "But if I were in your place, I'd be terrified. All of these animals are used to Mufasa."

"Don't say his name," Scar told her.

"Alright, but the fact remains. You got big paw prints to fill. The hyenas might not have respected M-… _him_ , but the lionesses did. I was intimidated when I took my mom's place as matriarch. I thought no one would look up to me as they did my mom."

"And did they?" Scar asked. He found himself interested, and talking to Shenzi helped him feel less nervous about it.

"It took a while because they thought I was too young, which I was, but eventually, I showed them that I was trustworthy and responsible and smart and brave. All the things you are, Scar. You just gotta show them."

They fell into a comfortable silence, both looking out over the Pridelands. Before too long, Scar heard soft snoring coming from beside him. Glancing at Shenzi, he saw that her head was resting on the ground between her two front paws, and her eyes were closed. When her snores began to gradually grow louder, Scar had to stop himself from chuckling. She could be so cute sometimes.

He stood up and gently bit down on the scruff of her neck, careful not to wake her up. Then he slowly dragged her towards the cave. Somehow, she stayed asleep all the way to the back of the cave. It would be too difficult to lift her onto the small ledge Scar slept on, so he left her on the ground, where the lionesses used to sleep. After climbing up onto the higher ledge, he looked down on her. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. She was hardly representative of the fierce hyena he knew she could be. Like this, she was almost beautiful.

It wasn't long before Scar fell asleep as well.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

Shenzi blinked the sleep out of her eyes, wondering why it was as dark as it was. Surely it was morning, but why wasn't she blinded by sunlight? At first, she feared that it had all been a dream and that she was still sleeping in one of the ancient elephant skulls. However, when she blinked a few more times, she discovered that she was in Scar's cave.

"Good morning," came a voice from beside her. It wasn't Scar's voice, as she'd been expecting. This voice was both familiar and foreign.

She flinched and rolled over to find the annoying, blue bird sitting on the ground next to her. Then she realized why he had sounded different. When she'd heard him speak before, he'd always had a cheery undertone to his voice, even when he was frightened that he would become a meal for her. Now, he was nothing but melancholy because of Mufasa's death. It probably didn't help that Scar had him trapped in a rib bone cage.

"Where's Scar?" she scowled at him, pushing her nose through one of the openings of the cage. The bird shrank away in fear.

"H-he woke up a while ago. He left. I don't know where he went."

"Ugh," she growled, pushing herself to her feet and trotting towards the entrance to the cave.

Out on the rock, it was much brighter, which made her wonder how long she'd actually slept. Judging by the sun's position in the sky, it was nearly afternoon. She'd never slept that long. But she'd never slept as comfortably as she had in Scar's cave either. Shaking out her fur, she began to climb down the rock, in need of a drink. Her throat was dry and scratchy.

"Hey, Shenzi!" a nearby voice greeted her. She turned to find Banzai lounging in the shade with Ed, tearing into a pile of meat. "Want some wildebeest?"

"Nah, I'd rather find a zebra."

Banzai shrugged, "Suit yourself. Now that we live in the Pridelands, I guess we can afford to be a little pickier."

Ed burst out into hysterical laughter as Shenzi continued to the water hole. She could still hear his giggles echo behind her as she moved through the tall grass. When she stepped out into the clearing, there was only one other animal by the water: a great lump of orange fur with its back to her.

Shenzi suddenly dropped low to the ground, creeping forward and making her footsteps as soundless as possible. When she was close enough, she pounced forward. She was inches from Scar's mane when he dropped to the ground, flattening himself against the dirt. Shenzi flew over him, landing halfway in the water.

As she crawled out, she shot a glare at Scar, who was chuckling at her.

"Did you really think I didn't hear you crashing through the grass before you noticed me?" he asked through his laughter.

Shenzi wanted to be mad, but she found herself laughing along as she shook herself off. It had been so long since she heard Scar actually laugh that his chuckles were contagious. While she was distracted by her own laughter, Scar suddenly pounced on her. Without any time to react, she was taken to the ground easily.

"Alright, alright," she laughed, putting her paw on Scar's chest, "Let me up."

When he did, she pretended to shake the dirt out of her fur, but halfway through one shake, she pounced back at him. By his face, she guessed she had taken him by surprise, but somehow he still moved out of the way just before she would have tackled him, sending her sprawling onto the ground behind him.

"How do you do that?" she asked, standing again.

"Catlike reflexes," he replied dryly, though he had a small smirk on his face, clearly proud of himself.

"Scar!" another voice interrupted them as a lioness crashed into the clearing.

Her neck was bleeding badly, coating her legs and the grass she'd just run through in bright red. Once she reached them, she collapsed next to Shenzi, her eyes already beginning to look glossed-over.

"What happened to you?" Scar asked, the smirk long gone, replaced by a look of dread.

"T-the…hyena…" she panted as her eyelids fluttered.

Another body crashed through the grass into the clearing. Banzai, his mouth dripping with blood.

"What did you do?!" exclaimed Shenzi, approaching him as Scar tried to tend to the dying lioness.

"I didn't mean to, man. It was an accident!" he defended.

"How could that have possibly been an accident?"

"I…I didn't know it was a lioness."

"You already had a wildebeest!"

"I know!" Banzai sighed, "I don't know what happened."

"You idiot!" Scar snapped, stepping away from the lioness. Shenzi looked over at her. Her eyes were closed and her body was no longer moving, not even to breathe. She was dead. Banzai had killed her.

"I'm sorry, man," Banzai tried, but Scar wasn't listening.

"How dare you!" he snarled.

"Scar," Shenzi spoke gently, stepping between him and Banzai. She'd seen him get mad before. He turned into a beast. When he got angry, he was no longer himself.

"I'm allowing you to live here out of the kindness of my heart, and this is how you repay me?!"

"Scar," Shenzi tried again, more urgently this time.

" _How dare you attack—kill—a lion!"_ he nearly roared at Banzai.

"You did too, remember?" she snapped at him, desperate to get him to leave Banzai alone, "Or did you forget about Mufasa?"

" _I told you never to say that name!"_

Scar's icy eyes turned from Banzai to her as he raised his paw. With open claws, he smacked Shenzi hard across the shoulder, leaving three, bloody claw marks. As soon as his attention was completely on her, Banzai turned and fled. When Scar was alone with her, he dug his claws back into her shoulder, holding her to the ground.

"Ahh," Shenzi gasped in pain.

"Don't ever speak that name in my presence," Scar growled lowly, leaning so close to her ear that her fur moved with his breath, "Do you understand?"

"Yes," she managed.

"Good," he replied, releasing her, "Keep your clan under control, Shenzi, or we're going to have a problem."

She tried to respond, but the world was quickly slipping away from her. Perhaps it was the heat or the pain or the amount of blood she lost, but she just couldn't hold onto her consciousness no matter how desperately she tried to.

Too soon, everything went black.

* * *

When Shenzi's eyes fluttered open again, she found that she was laying on the floor in Scar's cave, the exact spot she'd woken up in that morning. For a moment, she wondered again if everything that happened at the waterhole had just been a dream. However, when she tried to sit up, pain shot through her body, radiating from her shoulder.

She groaned weakly in pain before laying back down. Then she felt a heavy paw land on her head and stroke down her back. Shenzi tried to lift her head, but the paw pushed it back down.

"Don't move," a very familiar voice drawled from behind her.

"What are you doing, Scar?" she shot back, coating her words with as much ice as she could manage.

"I cleaned out your wounds."

Shenzi narrowed her eyes, looking over her shoulder at him.

"Don't touch me," she snarled, forcing herself to her feet before Scar could push her back down. She made it a few steps towards the entrance of the cave before she collapsed, her body still too weak. However, with her front two paws, she began to drag herself towards the opening. Scar followed along leisurely, like they were simply going for a stroll.

"I didn't _mean_ to hurt you," he continued, "It's just that laws do need to be enforced…regardless of the subject's relationship to the king."

"There is no relationship," she growled through clenched teeth, "Any friendship we had, you just destroyed."

"Shenzi, Shenzi, Shenzi. Do you think it's wise to speak so disrespectfully to me?"

"You don't scare me."

"I should…since I could kill you right now."

She hadn't noticed that Scar stopped walking until she felt a pressure on her tail, preventing her from moving forward anymore. She turned and glared at his paw, holding her tail to the ground.

"You wouldn't kill me."

"You're right," Scar replied, "I wouldn't. That's because you're my friend."

"You're so full of shit."

Immediately, she regretted her words. She expected him to hit her again or give slashes to match the ones already on her shoulder. She at least expected him to roar at her. Instead, he grinned at her and released her tail. Before she could resume crawling to the door, he began licking her wounds again. At first, they stung, but his tongue helped ease the pain. When he was finished, he laid down next to her, throwing his paw over her back so she didn't try to move again.

"You've been my friend since we were cubs," Scar spoke softly as Shenzi watched the sun set through the opening of the cave, "You're probably the only one I can call a friend right now. It hurts me that you don't think I care about you."

"You hurt me when you attacked me by the waterhole," she grumbled.

"You disobeyed me. I clearly told you not to say his name in my presence. You did it to spite me, and if I were to excuse you, the rest of the pride would think that they would be excused as well. No one is above the law, Shenzi."

"Except you."

"I'm the king! I make the law."

"And you attack those who break it? That's not being a good ruler. Remember everything I was saying last night? You should want to earn loyalty by getting your subjects to respect you, not fear you."

Scar looked away from her, laying his head on the ground and watching the sunset as well.

"Maybe that's how you ruled your clan, Shenzi, but that's not how I will rule my pride. I've learned that fear is a lot more effective than respect."

Shenzi sighed. She knew that his family always tried to rule over the hyenas by using fear. They'd even held Scar himself down using fear. She could hardly blame him for the values that his own family had instilled in him since he was a cub.

She laid her head on his paw.

"I'm sorry. You're still my friend," she whispered against his fur.

She felt his tongue on her again, but this time it wasn't on her wounds. It was moving across her cheek. Closing her eyes, she let herself lean against him. Fatigue came quicker than she expected, and she was already falling asleep. She felt Scar lay his head on top of hers, and she opened one of her eyes.

After the sun slipped behind the horizon, her eyes were closed again, and she was asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. So, a couple of questions have arisen since the last chapter. First, yes it was quick forgiveness because Shenzi knows Scar well enough that she understands his point of view and how he gets when he's angry. They also do like each other a lot. Also, Scar has charm. He's good at getting animals (particularly the hyenas) to believe him and do what he wants. Shenzi is okay, but it was important to the plot because it shows how serious Scar is about not saying Mufasa's name out loud.**

 **The lioness Banzai killed was grown, but she was nameless. She was just thrown in for the plot.**

 **Thank you for the reviews! I really like reading them!**

 **Chapter Five**

After a few days, Shenzi's wounds, both physical and psychological, began to heal. It helped when Scar was so nice to her. He continued to let her sleep on the ground of his cave even once she was no longer in pain. He also continued to lick the cuts clean even once they'd scabbed over.

"I think you just like licking me," Shenzi teased one night as he licked her shoulder. She stared out of the opening in the cave, watching as the stars twinkled in the distance. Sometimes it felt like her parents were giving her little winks to let her know that they were proud of her.

"Is that what you think?" Scar grumbled, his mouth and nose buried in her fur.

"Ye-," she began, but her voice failed her as his tongue traveled up from her shoulder, trailing the length of her neck. She fought not to closer her eyes as he reached her cheek, creeping closer and closer to her mouth. When he reached it, he licked the corner of it slowly before pressing his mouth and nose against hers.

Shenzi's eyes widened in shock, but they quickly closed as she melted from the kiss.

"Whoa! What's going on in here?" a voice intruded, followed by Ed's hysterical laughter.

Scar quickly separated from Shenzi and turned furiously on Banzai.

"What do you want, you idiot?" he snapped.

Shenzi could see the triumphant smirk on Banzai's face as he stepped forward into the cave. He was proud of himself for having ruined their moment.

"It's the waterhole," he began, "It's…well…it's dry."

"What do you mean?" asked Shenzi, her stomach dropping. A dry waterhole wasn't good. There wasn't a lot of water to be found elsewhere.

"I mean, there's no water in it. There's been a little bit of a drought lately, in case you haven't noticed. The grass and trees have all died as well."

"So?" Scar drawled, still glaring at Banzai for interrupting him and Shenzi.

"So, we're thirsty."

"Are you dying?"

"Not yet, but-."

"Come back when you're dying," he growled.

There was no trace of a smirk left as Banzai's tail dropped between his legs.

"You don't understand," he started, but Scar silenced him with a furious look. He opened his mouth to respond, but Shenzi was faster.

"Thanks for letting us know," she said gently, "We can't do anything about it right now, but we'll talk about a solution in the morning. Alright?"

Banzai perked up slightly, but she could tell he was still dissatisfied. However, there truly wasn't a lot they could do right then. He seemed to understand that, and he turned and scampered out of the cave.

"That was diplomatic of you," Scar shot at her.

"If there's one thing I learned through being a ruler, it's that your subjects need to feel heard, even if they're telling you something stupid. But in Banzai's case…Scar, a dry waterhole isn't good. How are we supposed to drink? We need water to live."

"I know that, Shenzi," he replied grumpily, stalking to the back of the cave and collapsing onto the ground, "but I don't know what to do."

He laid his head on his paws and stared at the ground. Shenzi took a few steps towards him. The last time she'd seen him look so dejected was when he had been clawed by Mufasa when he was a cub. Without thinking, she curled up next to him, needing to comfort him just as she comforted him back then.

"It's going to be okay," she told him, even though he pretended to not hear her. She knew everything she said helped, even if he didn't show it, "We'll think of a solution. I'll help you."

He nodded so slightly that Sheni almost didn't even notice. She could sense he didn't want to talk about it anymore, so she rested her head on his front paw and closed her eyes. It was only moments before Scar fell asleep next to her.

* * *

"King Scar would like a word with you," the annoying, blue bird stated, landing on a rock next to Shenzi as she sat under a tree. Under her paws, the ground was dry and craggy. All the grass had died, and the watering hole almost completely dried up. The only thing that was as it used to be was the sun, only there were far fewer places to lounge in the shade. Shenzi had been trying to get just a little under the dead tree she'd been laying under with Banzai and Ed.

"What does he want?" she replied, her eyes remaining closed. The last thing she wanted to do was stand up and leave her little space of shade. On the other hand, his cave was surely cooler than the outside anyway. Without waiting for Zazu's reply, she pushed herself onto her feet and forced herself to walk towards his cave.

"You summoned me?" she asked, trying not to sigh in delight at the cool air that suddenly enveloped her. She wondered briefly why she hadn't come up here before. She could have been kicked out, but Scar rarely did that unless he was in a bad mood. Even then, he usually let her stay because she knew how to cheer him up.

"Ah, yes. Shenzi," he drawled, stepping closer to her with a grin. He was obviously not in a bad mood. Shenzi also noticed that Zazu had failed to follow her back into the cave. Perhaps Scar had told him to stay out?

"What do you want?" she questioned, refusing to acknowledge the way he was looking at her and stalking closer, like she was the prey and he the predator.

"Lately, I've been thinking…well, what is a king really without a _queen?_ "

"A single dude."

"Oh, come now, Shenzi," he continued, walking past her so that his body brushed hers, "With all you've been doing to help, you're pretty much already my queen."

"Then what are you proposing?"

"Marriage."

Shenzi's eyes widened as she turned to face Scar, who'd stopped behind her. She recovered from her shock quickly, forcing a light laugh.

"A lion married to a hyena? You're joking."

"This is no joke, I assure you," Scar replied seriously.

"Why? If I'm already helping enough to be your queen, then why would you want to marry me? It seems a little unnecessary, doesn't it?"

Scar sighed dramatically and took a few steps closer to her.

"Perhaps I want to make it official. Besides, a king needs an heir to the throne."

At his words, Shenzi burst out laughing. Scar scowled at her, but she couldn't stop.

"You want to have kids," she managed through her laughter, "with _me?_ Do you know how messed up that kid would be? Would it be a lion or a hyena?"

"Do you accept my proposal or not?" Scar growled.

Shenzi's laughter died down. Did she accept?

All jokes and horrifying possibilities aside, would she want to be Scar's wife?

Ever since she met him, they'd had a weird kind of bond. He was her best friend, and she would be lying if she said that she didn't have a crush on him…one she was secretly thrilled to find out he returned. If he was serious about marrying her, which he evidently was, how could she possibly refuse when she wanted the very same thing?

"I do," she said softly.

Surprise flickered in Scar's eyes, as if he'd been expecting her to say no. And why should he have expected any different when all she'd done was laugh at him?

"Very good," he replied with a small nod, "We'll be wed in two months' time."

"Cool."

"Now, I need to go. The few remaining zebras asked to meet with me about overhunting."

Shenzi nodded as Scar moved to walk past her to the mouth of the cave. He stopped in front of her, though, and licked her cheek.

Then he was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been super busy this week. Also, next week I'll be on vacation (without wifi) and won't be able to update. I'll try to post at least one more chapter, if not two, before then. Enjoy!**

 **Chapter Six**

"You're gonna marry Scar?" Banzai asked as Ed shrieked with laughter.

"Yes," Shenzi shot back defensively, "Why?"

Banzai shrugged. Unlike Ed, he wasn't amused. He was hurt. Not that it was Shenzi's fault. It wasn't Scar's fault either. It was his. If he had told her that he had feelings for her, maybe he would be her future husband. But he had been scared, and he lost the love of his life because of it.

"I'm gonna go to the watering hole," he grumbled.

"There's not much water left," Shenzi called after him, but he ignored her.

He was just pushing through the tall grass when he spotted a zebra. It looked back at him with wide eyes, ready to run away. He had killed so many zebras. They were almost gone completely because of him. He'd just wanted to impress Shenzi, and knowing zebra was her favorite, he killed as many as he could for her.

But now, he simply continued to the watering hole and took a few sips of the water. He could feel the zebra's frightened eyes on him as he drank, but he didn't look up.

"I'm not going to kill you," he mumbled, his lips close to the water, "There's no point anymore. I can't win her back. She's in love with him. No matter how many of you I kill, I'll never win her back."

He straightened up and looked at the zebra. It stared back at him for a few seconds with the same wide eyes, uncomprehending.

Then it scampered off, leaving Banzai alone with his thoughts.

"What was his problem?" asked Shenzi once Banzai was gone.

Ed, his body still trembling with laughter, shrugged before bursting into another fit of laughter. Shenzi's eyes narrowed suspiciously. He knew something, and he wasn't telling her. Since when had their gang kept secrets from one another?

"Fine," she huffed angrily, "When he comes back, tell him I'll be in Scar's cave if he needs me."

Turning, she stormed off towards Pride Rock. It was the evening of the same day that Scar had proposed to her. The sun was already beginning to set, and she hoped that he was back from his meeting with the zebras. She felt a little guilty that she had eaten a fair amount of zebras since he became king, but Banzai just kept bringing them back for her.

She smiled gently. He was a great friend. She wished she knew what was bothering him so she could help. He had always been there for her, especially when her parents died. He had been so great. When she felt like she was destroyed, he had picked up the pieces and essentially raised her into what she was today. Strong. Tough. A good leader.

He was like an older brother.

When Shenzi reached the opening to the cave, Scar's yells were echoing around her. When she stepped inside, she saw that he had trapped Zazu in the corner. When he noticed that she was approaching him, he turned towards her, his anger melting into happiness.

"Get out," he told Zazu without looking at him.

The bird eagerly flew away, sighing in relief.

"Hello, my dear," Scar greeted warmly.

"Hey," she responded, not even sure why she was there. She just wanted to be with him instead of with Ed, who was keeping secrets, or Banzai, who seemed mad at her.

"Can I help you with something?"

"Can I sleep in here tonight?" she heard herself say.

Scar blinked in surprise, but his grin only broadened.

"Of course."

Without another word, Shenzi curled up in her usual spot: on the floor directly next to the rock ledge that Scar slept on. But tonight, Scar didn't hop up on the ledge. Instead, he curled around her, laying his tail across her hip possessively. Shenzi picked up her head and laid it on his paw before falling asleep.

* * *

When she woke up, Shenzi felt something warm and soft beneath her, gradually lifting her up and down. Her eyes fluttered open to find Scar sleeping under her. How she ended up on his back, she had no clue. But that didn't stop her from burying her face in his black mane.

"Good morning," Scar grumbled.

"Morning," she replied against his neck, "You're a very comfortable bed."

Scar rolled his eyes and stretched, sitting up and causing Shenzi to slide down his back to the ground. As she laid against his legs, he let his heavy paw drop onto her head, slowly sliding it down her neck and back. She closed her eyes, humming contently.

"I must be crazy to have fallen so in love with you," she purred.

"Crazy?"

"C'mon, Scar. A hyena falling in love with a lion? We just don't do that," she murmured, opening her eyes and glancing up at him. She was worried she'd hurt his feelings, but he just looked towards the mouth of the cave in thought. Finally, he looked back down at her.

"We did," he replied simply, leaning down to lick her cheek before sauntering out of the cave.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven**

Banzai walked with Ed through the Pridelands. The land wasn't full of life as it used to be. Everything was dead. The ground was cracked and the plants had been dried up. On the short walk from the dried watering hole to Pride Rock, they had passed at least ten rotting carcasses.

The only animals left were the hyenas and the lions mostly, besides a few random selections here and there. Everything else had been eaten. And even some of the lionesses had tried to leave. Scar stopped them of course. Except the young one who Banzai had almost eaten once. What was her name? Nala?

Banzai had heard the other hyenas talk about leaving as well, but he knew they never would. The living conditions were terrible, but Shenzi was a great leader…better than her parents and all the other leaders in the past. The clan would stay loyal to her, no matter what they said behind her back.

"C'mon, Ed. Let's go talk to the _king and queen_ ," he spat. Ed burst out laughing as was his trademark, but even his laugh sounded hoarse, as if his throat was dry from lack of water.

The climb up Pride Rock had once been so easy, but it was now a struggle. When they reached the top, Banzai was panting. Why was the sun so hot all of the sudden? Was it always this hot? He glanced around at his surroundings, but he couldn't see anything. It was all black and fuzzy, as if he'd stood up to fast.

Dehydration, he thought, the first signs of it.

When his sight came back, he pushed forward to the mouth of the cave.

Inside, Shenzi lay on the ground by Scar's ledge as Zazu sang from his cage. Her eyes were closed, but she chuckled when Scar yelled something at the bird. Banzai's eyes narrowed. This is what they did all day? They just lounged around while everyone else starved?

"Hey, boss!" Banzai snapped, walking further into the cave as Ed followed, "We've got a bone to pick with you."

Shenzi opened her eyes and lifted her head to watch Banzai. Zazu stopped singing.

"There's no food or water. It's dinner time, and we ain't got no stinkin' entrees."

Scar rolled his eyes and slid off of his ledge, sauntering over to Banzai.

"It's the lioness' job to do the hunting," he said, exasperated.

"Yeah, but they won't go hunt."

Scar rolled his eyes again.

"Oh, eat Zazu," he replied dismissively.

"No!" cried Zazu, backing against the far side of his cage, "You wouldn't want me. I'd be so tough and gamey."

Scar smiled evilly and chuckled, beginning to pace, "Oh, Zazu, don't be ridiculous. All you need is a little garlic."

Shenzi stood up and walked over to Banzai, planning to give him some kind of consolation.

Instead, he whispered, "And I thought things were bad under Mufasa."

Shenzi's eyes widened as she looked at Scar.

"What did you say?" he snarled, whirling around to face the three of them.

"I said Muf—ugh," Banzai began as Shenzi elbowed him hard in the stomach. He chuckled nervously, "I said…umm…que pasa?"

"Good. Now, get out."

Banzai and Ed turned to leave, but they stopped at the mouth of the cave.

"Yeah," he said, "But we're still hungry."

"Out!"

Once they'd run off, Shenzi turned to Scar.

"I should probably go with them," she began.

"Why?"

"Because they're my friends, and they're upset. Besides, even I'm hungry. If the lionesses won't find food, then someone should."

"Yes, but not the queen. You shouldn't have to hunt, my dear. Tell your clan to start hunting."

"No, Scar. Doing stuff like this is not how you earn the respect of your subject. I'll go and hunt for tonight. Then we'll come up with a better plan in the morning so we don't all die."

"Stay with me," Scar pleaded, holding her tail down with one of his paws, "Hunt tomorrow."

Shenzi rolled her eyes but stayed in place.

Scar stepped closer and licked her cheek. Then her neck. Then her chest.

He put a paw on her shoulder and gently pushed her to the ground. She rolled over easily; her lust-filled eyes were the only indication that she wasn't truly as irritated as she pretended to be. Scar leaned down and flicked his tongue over the corner of her mouth.

"I love you, my dear."


	9. Chapter 9

**Because both this chapter and the last chapter are fairly short, I'm publishing both of them tonight. I'll try to post another one tomorrow, but then there'll be about a week's break until I get home from vacation.**

 **This chapter moves quickly through a semi-long span of time, but I'm not too bothered by this seeing that the movie does the exact same thing, only they gloss over even a longer time span. So, that being said, I hope you enjoy!**

 **Chapter Eight**

The baboon grimaced throughout the entire ceremony. He sadly spoke the words that bound Scar and Shenzi together for life. While Ed was in attendance, Shenzi noticed that Banzai was not, but she was determined not to let this ruin her day. She was extremely happy. She didn't care what anyone thought. She didn't care about the disapproving looks from the hyenas and lionesses, as well as the baboon and the blue bird.

All that mattered was that she was now Scar's wife.

The official queen of the Pridelands.

* * *

It wasn't long afterwards that Shenzi had her first cub.

With all the work the pride and the clan had to do just to survive, the one hundred and ten days of her pregnancy seemed to pass in a blink of an eye. Shenzi had hardly noticed the passage of so much time until she felt herself go into labor. It lasted hours. Hours filled with Banzai nervously pacing in front of the mouth of the cave because only Scar and Sarabi were allowed inside. Even Sarabi was only allowed because she knew how to help deliver a cub.

Eventually, Sarabi emerged from the cave. Banzai looked hopefully at her, but her face gave nothing away. When he rushed inside, he found Scar lying next to Shenzi, who was curled around her cub. She looked up at him and gave him an exhausted smile.

"Banzai," she mumbled happily.

Banzai looked down at the cub. He didn't know what he was expecting, but the small thing was hideous. He had the body of a lion, but he was the color of the cloudy sky. His fur was matted and patchy in some places. His whiskers were bent out of shape.

The cross-breeding was obvious.

"This is Nuka," Shenzi introduced, grinning down at the cub proudly.

Banzai curled his lip in disgust before he could stop himself. He corrected it quickly, but Shenzi had already noticed. She narrowed her eyes, and her fur bristled.

"Do you have a problem?" she snapped, her exhausted contentment gone.

"No! Congratulations," he said quickly, but he had never been able to fool Shenzi.

"That's my child, Banzai. Look at him like that again, and I'll claw both of your eyes out."

There was fire in her tone that told Banzai that her threat wasn't empty. It didn't matter that he'd always been her best friend. Her child came first, and she would do anything to protect it.

Stupidly, he looked to Scar for help. It was naïve of him to think that Scar would defend him – a hyena that he tolerated at best – against Shenzi, whom he loved. But his eyes moved across the cave to meet Scar's. It didn't surprise him that the lion's eyes were narrowed dangerously as well.

Banzai looked back to Shenzi.

"You got me?" she spat.

"Yeah," he replied sadly, letting his tail drop between his legs and his ears flatten, "Yeah, sorry."

Then he turned and scampered from the cave, blinking back tears. He hadn't cried since Shenzi's parents had died. Crying meant that he had to take something seriously, which he'd been good at avoiding. But his relationship with Shenzi was no laughing matter.

The bond he'd had with her for his entire life had been broken.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello! There are only two more chapters to go, so I'm going to try and post them today so that there won't be a hiatus. I hope you're enjoying!**

 **Chapter Nine**

"Sarabi!" Scar called from the top of Pride Rock, his voice hoarse. One of the lionesses down below glanced up and began climbing up to Scar.

"Scar, don't be so angry," Shenzi spoke gently from behind him, "You're scaring Nuka."

"He's going hungry because of the lionesses!" Scar shot back, "As are we all."

Shenzi fell quiet and Nuka gently nudged her side with his head. When she looked down at him, he was staring up at her with his big, brown, innocent eyes that always looked slightly crossed.

"Mommy," he croaked, "I _am_ hungry."

"I know, Nuka."

When Sarabi reached Scar, she lazily let her eyes skim over the three of them, disgust plastered on her face. She lifted her head up defiantly.

"Yes, Scar?" she asked indifferently.

"Where is your hunting party? They're not doing their jobs," Scar snarled.

"Scar, there is no food. What was left of the herds have moved on," she explained.

"No! You're just not looking hard enough."

"It's over!" she insisted, "There's nothing left. You have only one choice. We must leave Pride Rock."

"Mommy," Nuka whined fearfully.

"We're not going anywhere," Scar shot back.

"Then you have sentenced us to death!"

"Then so be it!"

Shenzi's eyes widened. How could he disregard their son's life? How could he disregard hers?

"You can't do that!" Sarabi snapped, echoing the words in Shenzi's own head. The lioness wasn't indifferent anymore.

"I'm the king. I can do whatever I want!"

"If you were half the king Mufasa was-."

"I'm ten times the king Mufasa was!" Scar roared, whirling around and smacking Sarabi. The lioness skidded to the ground a few feet away, and Nuka let out a sound halfway between a whine and a sob. Shenzi opened her mouth to berate Scar, to tell him that's not how you keep the respect of your subjects, but a loud growling sound cut her off.

When she turned her head, she saw the silhouette of another adult male lion. He approached them, murder in his eyes.

"Shenzi, protect Nuka," Scar spoke softly but urgently.

Picking the cub up by the scruff of his neck, Shenzi carried him into the cave. In the vast, dark space, she looked around urgently for a place to hide Nuka. While she had no idea who this new lion was, she was sure that there would be trouble. Finally, she spotted a large rock jutting up from the ground near the corner of the cave. She quickly pushed him between the rock and the wall.

"Stay here until me or Daddy comes to get you, understand? Don't leave with anyone else, got it?"

Nuka nodded, his eyes widened with fear. The two brown orbs only held a sliver of comprehension, but a loud roar from outside the cave drew Shenzi away quickly.

When she emerged again from the cave, the bigger lion was nuzzling Sarabi. It wasn't the bloody scene she had been expecting.

"Simba?" Scar queried, as if he'd forgotten the name. Shenzi's heart skipped a beat. Surely, this couldn't be Simba. Then realization dawned on Scar's face. "Ah, Simba! Oh, I'm a little surprised to see you…alive," he added with a pointed look in Shenzi's direction. She forced a smile, but it felt more like a grimace.

"Give me one good reason I why shouldn't rip you apart," Simba growled, creeping towards Scar.

"Oh, Simba. You must understand. The pressures of ruling a kingdom-."

"-are no longer yours. Step down, Scar."

Scar let out a little laugh as he backed away, "Well, I would, naturally. However, there is one little problem. You see them?"

Scar pointed upwards with one of his claws. Shenzi followed to where he was pointing and saw her entire clan sitting on the rocks above her, waiting to pounce on Simba. Ready to defend their matriarch and her husband.

"They think I'm king," Scar continued.

"Well, we don't," another voice interjected. Shenzi's eyes jumped to where Nala and the other lionesses had climbed up to them, "Simba's the rightful king."

"The choice is yours, Scar," Simba added, "Either step down or fight."

"Oh, must this all end in violence? I'd hate to be responsible for the death of a family member. Wouldn't you agree, Simba?" Scar drawled meaningfully, pushing past Simba and heading towards the lionesses.

"That's not going to work, Scar. I've put it behind me."

"But what about your faithful subjects? Have they put it behind them?"

"Simba," Nala asked softly, "What is he talking about?"

"Ah!" exclaimed Scar gleefully as he began circling Simba, "So you haven't told them your little secret. Well, Simba, now's your chance to tell them. Tell them who's responsible for Mufasa's death!"

Shenzi watched as Nala's eyes, which had been narrowed at Scar, widened and shot towards Simba, along with the eyes of Sarabi and all the other lionesses.

Simba hesitated only a moment before saying, "I am."

Perhaps motherhood had made Shenzi soft, but she felt her heart ache. Had Simba really believed all these years that Mufasa was dead because of him? She still remembered chasing the cub to the desert, where she had expected him to die. She wasn't able to kill him herself, and she'd been secretly grateful for an excuse to stop chasing him.

And now seeing him alive brought back the same feelings. His entire life he had been living in guilt and misery. She couldn't imagine Nuka living like that if she or Scar were to die. She'd be furious if someone tried to put the blame on him.

Sarabi walked up to Simba, "It's not true. Tell me it isn't true!"

"It's true," sighed Simba.

"You see? He admits it. Murderer!" Scar growled, walking towards Simba, forcing him to back towards the edge of Pride Rock.

"No, wait," Shenzi began, taking a step forward, but the rest of the hyena's jumped down from their perches, prowling behind Scar and creating a barrier between Shenzi and her husband. Their snarls drowned out her protests.

"Oh, Simba, you're in trouble again," Scar continued, "Only this time your daddy isn't here to save you, and now everyone knows why."

Simba took another step back, but his paw missed the ledge. Shenzi's breath caught in her throat as Simba slipped, the only thing keeping him from falling was his two front paws that clawed desperately at the dirt. At the same moment, a bolt of lightning shot down front the sky and struck the dry shrubs at the bottom of the ledge, igniting them.

Secretly, she hoped that Simba would pull himself up. She didn't want to see him die. To her, all she saw was the little cub she chased out into the desert. The little cub that could have been her son. But when Simba's foot connected with a rock, and he pushed himself back up the ledge, her heart skipped a beat when he pinned her husband to the ground.

All at once, her sympathy for the cub so long ago was replaced with fear for her husband. Because the cub she once chased into the desert had been replaced by a lion as formidable as Mufasa, seething with rage and hungry for vengeance.

"Scar!" she shouted, shoving through the throng of hyenas.

"Murderer!" Simba roared.

Scar's face melted from triumph to fear.

"No, Simba, please."

"Tell them the truth!"

"Truth?" Scar chuckled nervously, "But truth is in the eye of the beh-."

His words were cut off when Simba pressed his paw to Scar's throat.

"Alright," he choked quietly. When Simba didn't remove his paw, Scar repeated himself louder. Then his voice dropped down again, "I killed him."

"So they can hear you," snarled Simba.

"That's enough," snapped Shenzi, taking a few steps forward, but both ignored her.

"I killed Mufasa!" Scar growled.

Suddenly, everyone burst into action. The lionesses ran at Scar, growling and roaring ferociously.

With a loud, furious bark, Shenzi ran at Simba and rammed into him, knocking him off of her husband. The rest of her clan followed, forcing Simba to the ground and attacking him.

Shenzi lunged at Simba, but was knocked out of the way by Nala's claw. She felt the nails tear through her cheek and the blood ooze onto her fur. She skidded to the ground a few feet away, and looked back up. Shenzi saw Scar getting up from the ground himself. They made quick eye contact. When Scar noticed the slashes on her cheek, he narrowed his eyes and glared at Nala. Before Shenzi could stop him, he had disappeared in the mess of lion and hyena.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement headed towards the cave. Without hesitation, she jumped to her feet and charged after them. She couldn't let the lionesses get to her son. When she entered the cave, however, the only ones were Banzai and Zazu with a new creature. A meerkat.

"Oh, look who it is," snarled Banzai, glaring at Shenzi.

After what had happened, his guilt faded into anger and hatred directed at her.

"Shut up, Banzai," she retorted. She didn't feel comfortable leaving Nuka with Banzai either after what had happened. She crept over to the rock she had put him behind, but her stomach flipped to find the space empty.

"Oh, are you looking for your son?" Banzai laughed.

"What did you do to him?" Shenzi growled, "I swear I will claw out your throat right now if you don't tell me."

Banzai shrugged indifferently, though his grin dropped, "I don't know where he is, but I saw one of the lionesses take him."

Shenzi's eyes widened, and before Banzai could say anything else, she was running out of the cave and around Pride Rock. She didn't know where the lioness would have gone with her son, but it was obvious they weren't in the middle of the battle. Shenzi would have seen them.

"Mommy!" she heard a small voice call from somewhere ahead of her. She began running harder when the meerkat and the warthog jumped out in front of her. How did they get ahead of her?

"Hey, Pumbaa, what do you call a hyena with half a brain?" the meerkat said with a cheeky grin as Shenzi skidded to a halt.

"I don't know, Timon," the warthog answered.

"Gifted!"

"Move!" snarled Shenzi as she tried to push past them, but the warthog was so big that there was no room for her to pass. "Move!" she tried again desperately, "Or I'll eat you!"

"Wait a second," Timon spoke casually, coming closer to Shenzi. When he was close enough for her to reach out and snatch him, he got down on one knee.

"Uh, Timon…what are you doing?" the warthog asked.

"Shenzi Marie Predatora Veldetta Jaquelina Hyena, would you do me the honor of becoming my bride?" the meerkat asked.

The question was so sudden and unexpected that Shenzi forgot her urgency for a moment. She felt sick at first, but then nearly burst into laughter.

"I don't think so!" she replied, a predatory grin making its way onto her face as she crept closer to the meerkat. If he didn't get out of her way, she really would eat them. She was hungry enough.

"Shenzi Marie, please?" he continued.

"I'm already married!"

"To who?"

"Scar."

Timon's face dropped.

"Oh, jeez. Nevermind!"

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Mommy!" Nuka whined again. It didn't sound like he was getting further away, but his voice renewed Shenzi's urgency.

"Get out of the way!" she snarled again, her teeth bared.

The meerkat was visibly shaking as he forced a smile. He stepped aside with a nervous laugh and gestured down the path. With one final snap of her teeth, Shenzi sped past.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Ten**

As she ran, she heard Scar's gasp from somewhere above her. She glanced up to glimpse the tops of his and Simba's heads. They were both at the very top of Pride Rock.

"Mommy," a whimper came from close by. Shenzi's eyes followed the voice to a small crack in the rock. Inside of it, she saw the dark, tiny figure of Nuka.

She gasped and rushed towards him.

"What happened? Who took you? Are you alright?" the words tumbled out of her mouth.

"Zira took me," he answered.

"Zira," bristled Shenzi. While Shenzi had never spoken to the lioness, she couldn't miss her adoring looks at Scar. The way she always batted her eye lashes at him and showed off in front of him. It was no secret that she had wanted to marry Scar and bear his cubs. It was also no secret that she was horribly jealous of Shenzi.

"No, Mommy. It's okay. She was nice. She's on Daddy's side. She moved me to here so I wouldn't get hurt."

"Yeah?"

Nuka nodded.

"Simba, please. Have mercy," they heard from above.

"Mommy, go save Daddy! I stay here. I'm hidden."

Shenzi hesitated, but then there was a gasp of pain from above her. She looked at Nuka.

"Don't move," she said firmly before scampering further down the path. She sprinted to the top of the rock. From the other side, the hyenas were running up as well, coming to Scar's rescue. At the head of the path was Banzai and Ed, but as they turned towards Simba and Scar, a wall of fire stopped them in their path.

Scar backed further away from Simba until his paws felt the edge of the cliff. If he fell, he would die without a doubt.

"We are family!" he protested as Simba came closer. Over his nephew's shoulder, he could see the crowd of hyenas. His wife backed up, preparing to jump over the fire that separated them. The rest of them sat and watched. He made quick eye contact with Shenzi.

"It's the hyenas who are the real enemy!" he exclaimed, "It was their fault. Their idea!"

He watched as Banzai and Ed lowered their heads and growled. They gave a sideways glance towards Shenzi, who paused, poised to leap. She froze for a second before lowering her head as well, her teeth bared. Banzai backed away, leading the rest of the clan. Scar's heart skipped a beat when his wife backed away as well. If anyone could understand, he would have thought that it would have been her.

She was just as manipulative. Couldn't she see that it was the only thing he could have said to get him out of this alive? Simba wanted to kill him. He needed time. Would she have preferred to watch him get torn to shreds?

"Why should I believe you?" Simba asked, coming closer, but Scar's eyes were still on the spot Shenzi had been moments before, "Everything you ever told me was a lie."

As Simba stepped even closer, he won Scar's attention again. When had the cub gotten so big? He was even bigger than Scar now.

"What are you going to do? You wouldn't kill your old uncle," Scar drawled, forcing back the fear. Now that he was alone, without even his wife standing by, his fear had doubled.

"No, Scar. I'm not like you," retorted Simba.

"Oh, Simba! You're truly noble. I'll make it up to you, I promise. How can I prove myself to you? Tell me. Anything."

"Run, Scar. Run away and never return."

He hesitated, searching Simba's face for any sign that he might be bluffing. There was nothing.

"Yes," Scar said slowly, moving around Simba. He just needed time. Then he saw it! He bit back a smirk as his eyes landed on a pile of ash near the edge of the cliff, "Of course."

He slinked closer.

"As you wish, your Majesty," he snarled, swiping his paw through the ash at Simba.

The bigger lion cried out in pain as the smoldering embers flew into his eyes. He was blinded for a few seconds, but that was all the time Scar needed to pounce. He took Simba to the ground and bit at his neck. Simba pushed him off, but Scar took him to the ground again, his head hanging off the edge of the cliff. He bit at him again, but Simba swatted him away before his jaw could close onto his throat.

Scar tumbled to the ground a few feet away, but was back up in an instant, running at Simba as he ran at him. The two collided in a mass of fur, blood, and claws. Their roars echoed throughout the Pridelands. To Shenzi and Nuka, and all the hyenas. To Zira and Nala and Sarabi, and all the lionesses. To Timon, Pumbaa, and Zazu.

Finally, Scar's claw fell through the air and slashed open Simba's cheek. He went flying across the top of the rock, through the wall of fire that had originally separated the lions from the hyenas. While he was still recovering, Scar jumped through the fire after him. He had almost landed on his nephew when Simba stuck up his back legs and kicked Scar, who flew over him and went tumbling down the other side of the cliff.

He hit the ground hard, and for a moment, he just laid there, not wanting to move anymore. Then he was suddenly surrounded by growling. His eyes fluttered open to see Shenzi and Banzai standing in front of him with the rest of the clan all around.

"Ah," he drawled, smiling as he stood, "my friends."

"Friends?" Shenzi laughed, turning to Banzai, whose eyes lit up, "I thought he said we were the enemy."

"Yeah, that's what I heard," Banzai returned, grinning, glad to have his friend back. Even happier that the bond between Shenzi and Scar seemed to have been severed.

Hurt filled Scar's eyes. Did Shenzi really hate him? Did she really turn on him? Of all hyenas, his wife? If there was one thing he never lied about, it was his love for her.

"No," he murmured, his eyes only on her as the clan began closing in on him, "Let me explain. No, you don't understand. I didn't mean-. No, no!"

The first hyena jumped and latched onto his neck. Another one's jaws closed onto his leg. They all jumped at him, tearing him apart. He slumped to the ground, his vision swimming. He blinked blood out of his eyes as he grew faint.

They were going to kill him.

"Alright!" he heard a voice yell, "He's dead. Let's get out of here before the lions find us."

Suddenly, all the snapping mouths were gone, and the deafening snarling was replaced by the crackling of the fire that surrounded him. He was alone now, left to die. No friends. No family.

No wife.

Then there was one more mouth. Without opening his eyes, he felt the animal's hot breath on his neck. He didn't know whether it was a lion or a hyena or something else entirely. And he didn't care. He only prayed it wasn't Nuka.

He was there when Simba watched Mufasa die, and he didn't want Nuka to live through the same fate.

But if it was a predator, it didn't bite his neck like he thought. It took a mouthful of his mane and tugged. He was determined to ignore it, but it tugged again.

"Come on, Scar," a hopeful voice hissed. The voice was feminine and thick with emotion. He forced one of his eyes open to see Shenzi standing over him, the fur on her cheeks was wet with tears and blood. When his eyes landed on her, he sighed with relief, letting his eyes fall closed again.

"You're alive," she whispered, pulling at his mane again, "Come on. We have to go now while both the hyenas and the lions are distracted."

"No," Scar grumbled.

"We have to!"

"I can't."

"You can. Y-you're not that injured," she lied, "We don't have to go far. Just far enough away so that they won't find us until you've healed enough to go farther."

When he didn't respond, she nudged his shoulder.

"Please, Scar!" she almost yelled. She would have if she wasn't worried about the others hearing her, "It won't be long before Banzai notices I'm not with the clan. Please?"

Scar was quiet for a long time, but eventually, he nodded his head. Shenzi let out a sigh of relief as her husband opened his eyes and struggled to get to his feet. He put most of his weight on her, but she didn't mind. She just needed to get him far away.


	12. Chapter 12

**This is the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed, and thank you for your reviews! I more than likely won't do another TLK fanfiction, but feel free to check out some of my other stories, or follow me for more stories in the future!**

 **Epilogue**

"How do you feel?" Shenzi asked.

"I'm fine," grumbled Scar, "Stop asking every day."

"It's only been two weeks, and you're not as young as you once were."

"I feel fine."

"Fine enough to leave?"

He didn't answer.

They had only made it to the edge of the Pridelands before Scar could go no further. They found a small cave and had been living in it ever since. Shenzi would hunt and bring the food and water to Scar, who was too injured to move. Over the past few days, he had been coming with her to the small watering hole not far away, but he wasn't strong enough to hunt.

The slashes on Shenzi's cheek would leave scars, but the injury was not serious enough to cause him worry. After the first week, they had stopped bleeding when she smiled. They were healing quickly. Scar was secretly pleased by the fact that they would both have scars on their faces.

"Where's Nuka?" he asked after a long silence.

It wasn't the first time he asked, but each time it brought tears to Shenzi's eyes. She was never able to answer, but this time, she opened her mouth.

"I had to leave him behind. Zira will take good care of him."

"Zira?" he asked vaguely before recognition dawned on his face, "Ah, yes, I remember her. She was always quite jealous of you."

"But she adored you. She wouldn't let your son be harmed. Nuka will have a better life with her."

Scar nodded soberly, staring at a point in the distance. He couldn't meet Shenzi's eyes. He could never deal with her sadness. Her tears were contagious, and he didn't want to cry.

"Yes, I'm fine enough to leave," he answered at last, "I want to go far away. Just you and me. No other lions or hyenas or anything. And I want to start over. I want to leave this past behind."

Shenzi sniffled and nodded.

"Me too."

Then she walked up to him and licked his cheek.

"No matter where we go, you'll always be my king," she whispered.

"And you, my queen."

Scar licked her back, and she smiled.

She closed her eyes and whispered, "Long live the king."


End file.
